Unexpected Love: The Wedding

UNEXPECTED LOVE

The wedding

CASEY CLIPPER

Warning!

This story contains spoilers. If you haven’t read The Love Series or The Boss’s Love, I would suggest that you do NOT read this short. The Right of Casey Clipper to be identified as the author of this work has been asserted by her.

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All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced, scanned, or distributed in any printed or electronic form without permission. Please do not participate in piracy of copyrighted materials in violation of the author’s rights.

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This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents either are the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictionally, and any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, businesses, companies, events, or locales is entirely coincidental.

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First Published 2015

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Published by

Independent Publisher

1

“I want to give this money back to Derrick,” Ryan said. He leaned back in the office chair, his feet propped up on the desk, and waved a blank check in the air.

Lynn snatched it out of his hand. “Stop it.”

“I’m serious.”

“I know you are but Derrick never asked for repayment,” she pointed out.

Lynn’s daycare business was thriving. It helped she owned the only daycare in the area with a registered nurse, which happened to be her. They also had full bedroom set ups for children who relished alone time, had started a pre-school program, and had late hours for those parents who worked late. She had employees working shifts to be certain no one pulled long shifts and take chances with tired workers. Their parents were full aware and loved that aspect.

“Doesn’t matter. The mere fact that he paid your salary for months means he holds something on both of us. I can’t have that, Lynn. Now I understand where Sean’s coming from with his loan. Derrick may be Courtney’s husband, but he’s still a ruthless businessman.” Ryan slid his feet onto the floor, snatched Lynn around the waist, and drug her into his lap. He nuzzled his nose behind her ear, taking in her awesome scent. Man, she drove him crazy. He’d never craved a woman day and night like he did his Lynn. From her smart mouth, to her tough exterior, to her occasional vulnerability that let him know she needed him, she was everything he never knew he wanted. Bonus, she was wild in bed.

“There are kids out there.” She smacked away his hands that wandered up and underneath her tee shirt.

“I thought we taught sex ed here.”

“To two, three, four, and five year olds?” She squirmed when he bit the sensitive spot at the base of her neck.

“They’ve probably walked in on Mommy and Daddy plenty of times,” he said, suckling and licking down to her collar bone.

“For goodness sake, Ryan, don’t you have to be at work.”

He did, but that wasn’t nearly as fun as having Lynn try to escape his grip. His dick−that constantly stood at attention around her−came to life. And she felt the moment it had.

“Can’t you control that thing?”

“Why?” he asked, baffled. Why would he want to do that?

“It’s like it has a mind of its own.”

“Ah…yeah,” he said.

Finally she succumbed to his onslaught of lips and hands and melted into his body. Unfortunately he couldn’t take her right there on the desk, the door was unlocked and there was a daycare filled with children, teachers, employees, and parents. But he could play.

He popped the button of her jeans and slid a hand down to her bare mound. Not willing to waste a moment, he slipped a finger into her slick folds. She moaned and her head flew back onto his shoulder as her hips moved with his ministrations. Slowly he drew his finger down and entered her hot body that was wet and ripe and ready for him. He nipped her ear with his teeth.

“You want me,” he whispered, tracing the contours of her ear with his tongue.

“Yessss,” she hissed.

And he wanted her, but that’d have to wait until he got home late tonight, when he’d wake her in her sleep by sliding his cock into her body. God, he loved waking her like that.

He pumped in and out of her body, picking up the pace and adding a second finger to her pleasure. She reached behind her, slid her hand into his scrubs and grasped his erection, hard. She squeezed him and matched his rhythm stroke for stroke. They both moaned and groaned loudly, obliviously to whatever could burst through their office door.

Ryan got lost in his girl. His woman got lost in his touch. This is how they worked well together. This is what they were. A perfectly matched couple who couldn’t get enough of each other.

She got to her climax point quick, her body clenched around his fingers and exploded. Her pleasure sent him over, exploding into her dainty palm with a loud groan as he bit her shoulder to try to muffle his sound.

“Shit, Lynn,” he breathed. “I need to change my work clothes.”

She laughed. “Thank goodness I think ahead. I’ve got a change for you in my bathroom.”

She was perfect.

“Marry me,” he said.

She pulled her hand out of his scrubs, wiped them off on his now soiled material, and fluttered her ring finger. “I’ve already said yes.”

“I mean now,” he clarified.

“What?”

“It’s been how long since I asked? The daycare is up and running. My health is back to normal. There’s no reason to wait.” He repositioned her to look him in the eyes.

“Where do you want to get married? It takes so long to plan a wedding. Over a year. I don’t have that kind of time,” she said and bit her bottom lip.

“We can go to a JP and have a small dinner afterwards. Just family,” he said.

“Are you sure?”

“I’ve never been more positive about anything, Lynn,” he answered confidently, because it was true. He loved her to his core. There were no more excuses to keep them from becoming husband and wife. Well, except for whatever she decided to come up with.

“Okay,” she said. “Let’s do it.” He took her mouth in a blazing kiss. His heart felt like it could explode. Never in his life did he think he’d be at this moment. In love with a woman he wanted to spend the rest of his life with.

A knock on the door interrupted them.

“Are you finished?” his brother’s mocking tone came through the wood door.

“For fuck’s sake,” he growled.

Lynn jumped up and straightened her clothing. “I’m going to need to change.”

She rushed to the door to open it while he slid into the bathroom and quickly changed his clothing. When he came back out into the office, Sean had his twin girls with him. Ryan scooped up Morgan. Both girls were still tiny things at nine months old.

“Where’s Lynn?” he asked.

Sean took Michelle out of her carrier. “She went to do a round and check on everything.” His brother cocked a brow. “Really, in the office of a daycare?”

Ryan shrugged negligently. “Don’t really want to hear it from you because I know for a fact you fuck your wife anywhere you can get your hands on her.”

“First,” Sean growled, “do not use that language around my girls. Second, we have twins. If I don’t, then how can I possibly get her pregnant again?”

“You want a son,” he accused his brother.

“I want to try for a son,” Sean countered.

Ryan snorted. “That’s entirely up to you.”

He burst out laughing at his sap of a brother, who reached out and nailed him in the low back.

“Sean, I’m holding your daughter,” he strained.

“And you better not drop her,” his ass of a brother warned.

Ryan wanted to toss out a curse but bit his tongue. Sean was right, they had to watch their language around the girls and Brady, his son who was only about six weeks older than the girls.

“Lynn’s finally agreed to marry me,” he said, rubbing his back.

Sean snorted. “She agreed a long time ago.”

“No, I mean, now.”

Sean perked up. “Really?”

“Yeah,” he answered. “Will you be my best man?” he asked, a lump in his throat he coughed out.

His older brother, the one who’d always been by his side, approached him, grasped the back of his neck and touched foreheads. Something they’d done countless times when they served as US Navy SEALs together. “I’d be proud to stand next to you.” Sean kissed his forehead. “You make me proud to be your brother, you know that?”

Ryan couldn’t respond, too choked up over how his brother and now his soon-to-be wife changed his life for the better.

2

“I know,” Ryan said, his head falling to the dining room table.

“How can you not invite Courtney?” Lynn asked baffled. “She’s going to be devastated.”

Ryan repositioned Brady to his right leg and bounced him while they ate their late dinner. To say he was in a predicament was an understatement. Marrying Lynn wasn’t going to be a large affair where they could keep Courtney and Sean separated. They were going to be in one small room in front of the local judge and then have an intimate dinner at a fine dining restaurant. Attending would be his gorgeous bride and himself, Sean and Beth with the girls, his parents, and Lynn’s brother Russ and cousin Jarrett as well as her parents. There’d be no place to keep the two cousins, who were still at odds, from going at each other’s throat. And they would. Because it would be a couple hours in close quarters and Courtney would no doubt push Sean to try and mend their relationship. Unfortunately his sometimes mule-headed brother wasn’t ready to forgive yet. Who knew what it would take to fix that mess?

“Did he ask you not to invite her?”

He shook his head.

“Then you should.” Lynn snatched Brady off him.

His son wrapped himself around his soon-to-be stepmom. Lynn vowed to adopt Brady as soon as they were married, which would change her title. It would take some time and money, but the fact she was willing to do it meant the world to him.

He sighed and raked a hand down his face. Why did this have to be so stressful?

“At least talk to Sean about it,” she said.

“Talk to Sean about what?” his brother asked, waltzing into the room with Morgan in his arms. Beth followed behind with Michelle.

“Are you both hungry?” Lynn asked. “I can grab you a plate. There’s plenty of spaghetti for everyone.”

“I am,” Beth said softly. “I didn’t get to eat lunch today.” She gave Sean a pointed look.

Sean shrugged. “We had the office to ourselves for a few minutes.”

Lynn smacked him upside the head as she handed him Brady to get Beth her dinner. “Stop flirting with my sister-in-law. Ass.”

Sean smacked him on the other side of his head. “Stop hitting on my wife.”

“Jesus.” Ryan rubbed the back of his head.

“Some habits die hard, don’t they, Ryan?” Beth chuckled.

He winked her direction. Yeah, they did.

“Talk about what?” Sean asked again. Leave it to his brother to never allow a subject to drop.

Ryan sighed heavily, closed his eyes, and prayed for peace. “Inviting Courtney to the wedding.”

He opened one eye to peek at his older brother. Sean didn’t disappoint. He face turned into a blank mask. Which meant he was hiding his anger. It was Sean’s tell. Beth looked at Ryan sympathetically. His sister-in-law was too kindhearted and forgave Courtney for the argument they had. But Beth understood her husband too well and knew she couldn’t broach the subject of a family reunion. They’d done it once and it hadn’t gone well. Anything more than that would push Sean over an edge.

“I would never tell you not to invite her, Ryan,” Sean said.

“But things would be tense,” he said.

Ryan bounced Brady on his leg and straightened the M&M costume he dressed him in this morning.

“I’ll keep him in line,” Beth said quietly.

Sean snorted.

Ryan laughed at his brother. “Who are you kidding? These three women rule you.”

Sean collapsed back in the chair resigned and smiled. “Yeah, they do.”

Ryan knew the feeling all too well. He totally got Sean’s acceptance of that trait.

3

Ryan stood nervously in his black suit next to his brother, who stood in front of Judge Waters. How ironic the man who’d married Derrick and Courtney was going to marry Lynn and him. He wasn’t sure what to make of that coincidence. This had been the longest month of planning. Who knew bloodwork had to be done and paperwork filed before you could get married in Pennsylvania? In Vegas you could get married the next day after obtaining a license. He should have flown her out there the next day. Though, then he’d have to deal with his family and hers. And he didn’t really want to get into a brawl with her brother.

The tiny room was filled with his and Lynn’s family. Brady was held by his soon-to-be mother-in-law’s arms. Lynn’s parents were on cloud nine over his son. In fact, they’d taken to Brady the moment she’d visited them with the newborn in tow, before him and Lynn had become a couple. The Barnette family had been in Brady’s life since almost the very beginning. It was appropriate they were here now.

The only people missing were Courtney and Derrick. Ryan was well aware that when his cousin caught wind of this day, she’d be wrecked. But he had no choice. He didn’t want drama on his wedding day and he needed Sean by his side.

Everyone in the room turned when the door opened and Lynn stepped into the room wearing a white sheath dress that came to her knees and a pair of white stiletto shoes. Her long dark hair cascaded down her back and over her shoulders, which was unusual for her. She liked to sport a ponytail. The color contrasted dramatically against the white dress. She looked stunning.

Ryan’s heart felt like it was going to explode. She was going to be his, forever. His Lynn would finally take his last name. Lynn Millen. Wait. That sounded awful. Shit. Maybe she wouldn’t change her name.

When she stepped up to him, he leaned over and whispered, “Are you going to change your last name?”

Her brows slid together. “Yes, why?”

“Lynn Millen.”

“It’s ridiculous isn’t it?”

He growled.

“I wouldn’t have because it is awful, but it’s Brady’s last name and I want to have the same name as my son.”

“Wait.” Ryan held up a hand. “You’re going to be my wife but it took Brady to convince you to change your name?”

“Problem with that?”

“Uh…yeah.”

Sean laughed aloud. “Man, you’re in trouble.”

“Fuck off.” Ryan shot over his shoulder.

Judge Waters cleared his throat. “Are we doing this?”

Lynn faced him and took his hands. “Ryan, of course I’d take your name. Even if it sounds made up and awful. It’s your name.”

“How romantic,” Russ quipped from the corner.

“Shush,” Lynn whipped over her shoulder.

Ryan grinned and whispered into her ear. “As long as you’re screaming that name every night, we’re good to go.”

She rolled her eyes and smiled. He knew she couldn’t resist his playboy charm.

“Are we ready?” the judge asked again.

“Yes, sir,” Ryan said.

Judge Waters began, “We are gathered here for the wedding of Ryan Millen and Lynn Barnette.” He turned to Lynn. “Are you, Lynn Barnette here of your own free will, and do you intend to marry Sean Millen?”

“I do,” Lynn answered confidently.

The judge turned to Ryan. “Are you, Ryan Millen, here of your own free will and do you intend to marry Lynn Barnette?”

“I do,” Ryan said, choking on the words. He felt his brother’s supportive hand land on his shoulder, squeeze, and then let go. For some reason, that relaxed him, and he was positive Sean knew it would. The support of his older brother, who’d always stood by his side.

The judge asked Ryan to repeat the vows. And he did, facing Lynn, looking directly into those gorgeous hazel eyes. “I, Ryan Millen, take you, Lynn Barnette, to be my lawfully wedded wife.”

Lynn repeated her vows as well, looking at him with love radiating out of her every pour. He was positive every person in the room could feel her joy. Their vows were simple and uncomplicated. Just as they liked to live and represented how they were as a couple. A civil ceremony was perfect for them. They didn’t need the bells and whistles. It wasn’t their style. This was perfect and they’d both remember it and never regret it.

After they finished, the judge then declared, “In front of these witnesses, this couple has declared their intention to join their lives in marriage…and we now accept them as husband and wife. You may kiss your bride.”

“Behave,” Lynn whispered a warning.

Against his better judgment, Ryan did. He gently cupped her cheeks and kissed her softly on the lips. Those lips that would forever belong to him and only him. Those lips that he’d get to kiss every day when he woke in the morning and when he went to sleep at night. Those lips that would confess their love for him and then thrash him for being an idiot at some point.

When he pulled back, he whispered, “I love you.”

“I love you,” she replied.

“May I present to you Mr. and Mrs. Ryan Millen,” Judge Waters announced.

It was short and sweet, but his mother and Beth were in tears standing next to one another. Sean cleared his throat and gave him a manly embrace and then kissed Lynn on the cheek.

“I’m thrilled to have you as my sister,” Sean said quietly.

Ryan caught both Russ and Jarrett swipe at their eyes. Russ grabbed his sister and held her tight against him and whispered something only meant for the two of them. Jarrett did the same.

“You’ll have to get to me after your sister does, if that’s the case,” Ryan said, smirking.

“Don’t forget it.”

Beth hugged him fiercely. “I love you and am so happy for you.”

Ryan kissed her forehead. “Thank you. Thank you for accepting her into our home.”

Naturally, Beth blushed radiantly.

After the congratulations, they gathered outside on the picturesque steps of the courthouse for portraits that Mr. and Mrs. Barnette hired a professional photographer to take. They stated that they respected Lynn’s wishes on the type of wedding she wanted, but insisted on pictures of their only daughter’s wedding day. How could he argue?

As Ryan stood on the steps, his arm wrapped around Lynn and Brady between them, all felt perfect in his world. He had his woman and his son by his side. What more could a man ask for?